Cardiff City defender Sol Bamba says his treatment is “going well” after he was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in December.
The 36-year-old France-born Ivory Coast international revealed he has started chemotherapy sessions and has been told there is a good chance he could receive the all clear after completing his programme of six sessions over several weeks.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, he said: “I am in good form and treatment is going well.
“It has been difficult for my family, the kids and my wife, as well as my family back home, my parents and my brothers and sisters.
“The support I have had from football and the world in general has been phenomenal. That helped me a lot and my family as well.
‘I’ve done chemotherapy, the doctor planned for six sessions, I’ve done three and I have a fourth next week. After that I should be clear, you never really know but there is a good chance that after six chemo sessions I could be okay.
“Hopefully the sixth one will be finished by April 28, from that fingers crossed I will be all clear. You have to wait two to three weeks between each session for my body to recover.
“So far it has been good, there are bad days when you are really tired and lose your appetite, you feel sick, but I know I have to go through this.
“Days like today I feel brilliant and I am happy to get on with my life, go to the gym, see people, see the lads at training – that keeps me going.”
Bamba says the diagnosis of his condition, which he initially thought was only a sore back, came as a surprise just before Christmas.
Cardiff City players wear T-shirts in support of Bamba
He continued: “I had a sore back for a few months and I don’t think I played any games in my career without some pain somewhere – so I didn’t suspect anything big.
“It was very bad at night so we looked further. We realised it was more, the sad news was that it was just before Christmas so I didn’t get to enjoy it with the family.
“Soon as I found the news I knew I needed to get better for them, for myself.”
The former Leeds, Hibernian, Leicester and Paris Saint-Germain defender says he still hopes to make a playing return for Cardiff, which could even come before the end of the current campaign.
However, he is considering moving into management if his body does not allow him to continue his playing career.
“Football has been my whole life. First and foremost I want to get back, if the doctor clears me maybe I will go back and play, I don’t want to finish that way,” he said.
“If not I am prepared for the next stage and hopefully I can go into management.”
